Four Key Words to Increase Email Engagement

While much of the world is buzzing around social media to draw in customers, email marketing is still alive and well. In fact, there are tons of stats out there on just how big of an impact email marketing makes, including that 44% of email recipients made at least one purchase last year based on a promotional email.

The name of the game in email marketing success is getting that open rate higher — because the more people who read our emails, the more they engage and the more they buy.

What many marketers or business personnel don’t realize is there are four little words that, when used in an email’s subject line, will increase your open rate immediately, which leads to more exposure and greater profits.

So what are these four words?

You.

Are.

Not.

Alone.

It sounds almost unbelievable, doesn’t it? After all, “You are not alone” is such a simple statement. The reason this phrase has worked for so many companies through email marketing is up for debate, but the general consensus is that many recipients in this day and age are able to relate to this phrase on a primal level. No one wants to be alone. Everyone wants — and needs — to belong to something. It is an instinct that every human being carries with them in one way or another. And by sticking this phrase in your email’s subject line, you can take advantage of that instinct.

Of course, once you get recipients to open an email, it’s essential that you keep their attention focused on that need to belong. If not, they’ll skim your message, scoff at it, and move on to something else. We definitely don’t want that to happen, so here are three strategies to help you avoid that:

Strategy #1: Let Them Know You Understand

Connecting with potential customers has always been an essential step in doing business. Everyone has some kind of problem they’re trying to fix and once they open your email with the “You Are Not Alone” subject line, you better be ready impress them, and the first way to do that is by ensuring them that you understand what they’re going through. You have your foot in the door — now make sure they don’t slam it shut on you!

Strategy #2: Figure Out What Type of Reassurance is Needed

What you want to do is figure out what makes your potential customer tick. Think about what keeps you up at night and use that as a springboard to connecting with the customer by introducing the solution to his or her problem. Once you do this, everything else becomes a lot easier. At this point, customers will begin to trust what you have to say and you’ll be forging a relationship that will quickly become mutually beneficial. Even though this may only represent the beginning, this will definitely give you a head start in a relatively simple manner.

Strategy #3: Show a Little Negativity

Pharrell Williams may always want you to be happy, but the truth is that a little negativity can help connect you with customers on an emotional level. Just think about the last time you clicked on an online article link because the title was written in a negative way. It is human nature to be drawn in by negative things, because we want to know that others feel our pain. And while it may seem strange that marketing can use this negativity to its advantage, by alerting potential customers to a potentially harmful problem, and then helping to solve it, you may very well add yet another loyal customer to your business.